Cardinals Have Key Area They Must Target at Trade Deadline

St. Louis has a weakness to address at the deadline.

Jul 5, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (52) pitches during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have been inconsistent lately. They have now lost four consecutive games and are headed towards potentially selling at the trade deadline. But that doesn't mean that they can't make some upgrades.

The starting rotation has been their biggest weakness this season, and their bullpen has also fallen short at times. The trade deadline is coming up, and it will be interesting to see what Chaim Bloom is thinking for St. Louis and how he will operate.

Tim Britton, Chad Jennings and Eno Sarris of The Athletic outlined what they think is the biggest need for the Cardinals heading into trade season.

Cardinals Must Address This Need at Deadline

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) delivers a pitch in the first inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, Aug. 30, 2025, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Like the White Sox, the Cardinals are contending ahead of schedule in 2026. St. Louis’ playoff odds reside around 35 percent in the competitive National League Central, and despite pristine health, its starting rotation has been its weakness since the season started.

"The projections like Dustin May going forward and think Michael McGreevy will fall back to earth a bit. Matthew Liberatore has been the most disappointing piece in that rotation, and the Cardinals could benefit by adding an arm toward the top of the quintet to push everyone down a notch — and prep for the inevitable IL stint."

The Cardinals have a number of ways they can go about adding starters. They seem to be trending towards selling at the deadline rather than buying. In that case, May might be on the way out at the deadline, but the Cardinals can still find ways to improve their rotation.

If they do sell, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are giving up on the season, depending on how they do it. They could bring back a young, major league ready arm or two that can be plugged into the rotation right away and help them now and in the future.

It depends on who is traded, but they can improve their rotation in the present and future by selling at the deadline, depending on who is moved.

They aren't going to chase rental pieces, as that would likely cost prospects, but they could still look for ways to improve the team in the short-term and long-term.

It will be interesting to see how Bloom operates in the coming weeks. The deadline falls on August 3 this season, so there is a little more time for the Cardinals to decide whether or not they'll be true sellers.